patterned weave development

I have been developing the looped weave intensively. I really like the effects, 3d quality, chunkiness. But i feel as though it limits me with pattern and variations for my final collection of fabric which is why I have chosen to add another structure to break up my collection, create more interest.
Based on scar patterns, it uses several ends in each heddle to create a large scale pattern which I think will be very striking from away, when in colours.


i have experimented with colour in illustrator, layering and trying to picture the final outcome. I think this more linear patterned weave does sit well with the loop structure. They are both fluid and textural, mimicking the scarification texture of the skin I have been researching:

Mix it up - 3D weave and plastic embellishment

Texture:
I want people to look at my final collection and question what are they looking at. I have decided to use a mix of materials to create unique textural and experimental pieces. It might look unusual, some may even think it's too much. But if there is ever a time to take risks and experiment the time is now. I think it will successfully create new surface/body boundaries, building layers, extensions of the body and skin with plastics and woven loops.


My favourite designers mixing plastics, liquid gels, embellishment, woven fabric and fur:


Who else could mix crochet, leather, sequins and plastic except Christopher Kane?

Dries Van Noten

Bottega Veneta

Prada

some of my own work using perspex embellishment, digital print and 3-dimensional woven structures:

colour:
refine colour palette. I have so many textures going on which I love. But at the moment things are looking a bit too much, i want it to remain interesting in texture combinations but refining/darkening the colours and developing combinations will hopefully make the collection look more sophisticated..

pre-fall 2012

 my favourite picks from pre-fall 2012. 

Proenza Schouler: They always use interesting fabrics and colour combinations. I am having trouble defining my colours and it's interesting to see the way they use colour. Proenza Schouler use blocks of one of two colours in an outfit, and use more than one or two colours in details to tie the collection together, while also making the outfits stand out alone. It's striking and bold, but uncomplicated and never too much.

J.Mendel:

J. Mendel are specialists in fur. But I don't think it was just the use of luxe fur that made this collection stand out for me. The textures created my mixing soft fur, shiny leather, matt wool and blocks of black and white create contrasting textural outfits. I love the mix of shiny/matt/hairy and would like to think about this in my own work, avoiding the obvious mix of fur and leather. I think texture can be found in all sorts of unexpected materials.

weave development

I have just set up my 3rd warp on a loom. i have decided to take forward the looping weave. it is a double cloth, with one warp at a much lower tension than the other warp. This allows me to pull the warp forward and make loops by inserting knitting needles. These work really well but i need to find/make similar objects that are much cheaper because it looks like i will need a hundred or so if I am weaving a long length.. if i take the needles out as i am weaving the loops get crushed and distorted under the pressure of the beam and lose their 3D effect.


At the moment i have mixed feelings about my weave outcomes.. i think they are exciting and experimental but i think they need some refinement. I want my collection to be fun and bold, but also developed/sophisticated. This is a hard balance... I will need to think carefully about the colours and pattern, and also the fabrics that go with them. 


I also want to look into other fabric manipulation such as embellishment and laser cutting. I want to develop the idea of extending the body, adding to it in three-dimensional ways, reflecting body scarification, physical manipulation and surface of the skin through unexpected materials. (thick cording/leather?/latex)

DYE DYE

Don't dye in a wok at 2am.. because it won't match your colour palette. The colours changed drastically as they dried and as I put the yarn onto the loom. However going through the dying process/mistakes and successes ( i also dyed viscose cord for my weft, this worked much better - viscose takes colour and holds vibrancy in contrast to cotton) made me think more carefully about the colours that I am using. I have decided to develop/change my colours. The pink is either going or I will use it sparingly. However there does need to be a lighter colour to break up the deep green/red tones.